As fall merchandise has begun to show up in retail stores, and Spring/Summer '13 Fashion Week is just over a month away, we find ourselves once again designing new product. Sometimes we draw inspiration from fashion designers, sometimes from nature, and other times we find ourselves chuckling that we've all tapped into some design sect of the collective unconscious. We are constantly "screen-shoting" things we see on the web and taking pictures of colorful moments we don't want to forget, so we put together an inspiration board to share some of what's going on in our brains with you!

In researching what was to come from Pantone for Spring/Summer '13, we found some great insight from a blog discussing sustainable fashion, and some great examples from Moda Operandi.

The Pantone pallets for S/S'13 display a "unity" theme, reflecting cultural and lifestyle trends in America. This translates to a study of the connectivity between how colors interact with other colors, textures, shapes, and prints. On the top right is a wildly patterned frock from Cushnie et Ochs, which exemplifies the contrast of a bold pattern using bright colors, against the soft and modest silhouette of the dress. The aforementioned blog article expertly describes some of the color palettes as being a mix of "organic vs. techno," and this dress most definitely fits that description. Another example of creating designs in classic shapes, but using bold color, is the beautiful blue number from Derek Lam on the right. Some of the new designs we're working on are going to use those gorgeous little stones on the left side of the board, and will also be playing with the contrast of classic shapes with bright colors- we are excited!

In general, natural beauty always inspires us, especially the sky and flowers. Mother Nature is the best colorblocker out there, and always reminds us of how much joy can be created simply with color!

Stay tuned for more on what inspires us and the new collection in the works, which JT want's to name "Happy," because that's how she wants people to feel when they wear it! The image below was found on Pinterest and reminded me of what we're up to...